Photography

What does it take to "make it" as an artist in New Hampshire? Without big-city galleries and crowds of well-heeled patrons, we find out how Granite State artists innovate, especially with social media transforming artistic outreach. We also explore how our education system views the arts, when the STEM fields, science, technology, engineering and math, get top billing.

Last week, Concord-based photographer and filmmaker Gary Samson was named New Hampshire’s Artist Laureate. Samson built his career exploring the history and culture of the Granite State. He now serves as Chair of Photography at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. Samson reflected on his approach to photography with NHPR’s Peter Biello.

Last Wednesday at the State House, Governor Hassan declared December 21st to be “Jim Cole Day,” in honor of the Concord-based AP photographer. Over his more than 30 years covering the news, Cole assembled a portfolio that spans the state. But it was his pictures of New Hampshire’s political scene that had the biggest impact.

For a small state, New Hampshire has a plethora of private schools, each with a rich academic and cultural heritage. Although the schools are private, many have art galleries that are open to the public. Student and faculty art shows are on regular offer, but there is also compelling and unique work from both national and international artists.

Julia Ward Howe is famous for writing the civil war song, “Battle Hymn of the Republic” - but did you know her life was the subject of the first Pulitzer Prize winning biography, back in 1917? We’re learning about the unlikely sisters who took home the first Pulitzer prize 100 years ago.

Plus, you've seen one photo of the pyramids at Giza, or the Eiffel Tower, and you've just about seen them all. We'll talk to an artist who photographs the most documented tourist destinations in the world - by not taking photos of them.

Among the complaints about the presidential campaign on social media or talking with friends: how come the mainstream media never covers this candidate, those facts, that scandal. Today, is the media really dropping the ball?

Then, last fall, the aids health foundation launched a billboard campaign in Los Angeles linking mobile dating apps like Tinder and Grindr to the spread of STDs. The foundation charged that these apps are making casual sex as easily available as ordering a pizza. Now a start-up called Mately is banking that online daters will pay a premium to know the sexual history of their potential hook-ups

"Look deep, deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." - Albert Einstein, 1951

Ah, the great outdoors. A place for life, death, and seemingly infinite inspiration. Todayis all about the outdoors: capturing its beauty through photography, creating its beauty through manipulation, and rediscovering its beauty in the most unlikely places. Join us for a walk through the wild then share your thoughts on our Facebook and Twitter.

Gluten-free? Olive or coconut oil for cooking? Mediterranean or paleo? If nutrition is a science, why does the research vary so wildly, and why all the zany correlations between who we are and what we eat? On today’s show, faith, party affiliation and other fictions from food science.

Last month China ended its controversial one-child policy – but is the change as radical as it’s been made out to be by officials and news outlets? Today, a reporter on China's new "two-child policy"... and why the country really needs to focus on sex-ed. Plus, Millennials are sometimes derided as a generation slacktivists, and don't have the spending power of their elders – but non-profits are betting on them for the future. From socially conscious spending, to gimmicky donation challenges, we explore how Millennials are changing the face of charitable giving.

Since World War II, as many as 100,000 service members have been “less than honorably discharged” for being gay. Now, four years after the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” gay vets look to change the record. Today, what goes into rewriting history. And prior to the Civil War, images of battle were the stuff of legends and mystery – then came the photographs of Alexander Gardner. Plus, other stories about our nation’s veterans.

Prior to the Civil War, images of war were the stuff of legends and mystery – then came the photographs of Alexander Gardner. Today, the legacy of a photographer who captured the graphic violence of war, and inspired questions about the power and ethics of war photography that are still being discussed today. Plus, we’ll dive into a collection of more than 700 antique cookbooks to find out what scholars can learn by looking at food - and get a taste for some unusual recipes from back in the day.

For the last ten years, photographer Chris Whiton has been combing through old guide books, hundred year old newspapers, and even modern maps to find lost waterfalls in the New Hampshire wilderness. Some of them used to be located on old trails long since abandoned.

Historians often interpret the Civil War in terms of important battles, and number of lives lost. But what about food? Today, we explore a history of the war through the lens of a cookbook. Then, a man who decided to do what nobody has done in more than a century ... cross the Oregon Trail in a covered wagon. Finally, the 4th of July marks the annual Mountain Men Revival in Pinedale, Wyoming. There, dozens of rugged-looking men wearing animal skins shake off the yoke of civilization, tether their horses to trees, make camp, and join others over grilled buffalo meat.

According to a recent analysis, pop music is getting stupider. Today, we ask a critic whether music has to be smart to be good. Plus, Merril Garbus of tUnE-yArDs offers a firsthand look at what goes into a catchy hook. And, a member of the mountain string band Steel Wheels explains how flatpicking master Doc Watson moved him give up punk music and pick up the banjo.

It was a long hard winter – but temperatures are finally climbing and bird song is erupting across New Hampshire. Today is Bird Day and we’ll talk about the sounds of spring migration – and hear how you can keep traveling birds from flying into your windows. Plus, an amateur photographer and creator of the #WorstBirdPic Meme comes to terms with the fact that 99% of his bird photos are blurry.

And two spring traditions come together in a new project that’s just sprouted at Fenway Park: an organic rooftop garden.

As schools across the country struggle to meet the new national common core standards, one controversial aspect of education is not part of the curriculum: sex education. On today’s show, the evolving debate around sex ed, which is not strictly an American phenomenon.

Then, parental leave has been shown to benefit infant health and early development, but Jennifer Senior argues that if we truly care about our kids’ well-being, the policy should not stop after the first 12 weeks.

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4.12.15: Sex-Ed Around The World, Parental Leave When Kids Are Teens, & A Disposable Camera App

A couple of months ago, we talked to Greg Beck – the creator of a counter-intuitive photo app called The White Album, which basically turns your smartphone into a disposable camera. Here's how it works: when you open the app a simple camera interface opens up.

Parental leave has been shown to benefit infant health and early development, but Jennifer Senior argues that if we truly care about our kids’ well-being, the policy should not stop after the first 12 weeks. On today’s show, the case for taking parental leave when kids are teenagers.

Plus, we wax nostalgic for the days of the one-hour photo and test a new app that turns your smart phone into a disposable camera.

Ever fantasized about living on a lush tropical island? Would you settle for a long cold winter on a rugged rock 6 miles off the coast of Portsmouth? For the last 18 years, photographer Alexandra De Steiguer has done just that as the lone winter caretaker of Star Island. NHPR's Sean Hurley paid her a visit and sends us this.

On our first attempt to leave the harbor for Star Island, the muffler was frozen and the Miss Julie, a 29 foot lobster boat, wouldn't start.

Valentine’s Day is this weekend and couples in love are expected to spend in the billions, but spending by singles may have even greater revenue potential. On today’s show, a look at China’s anti-Valentine’s holiday: Singles' Day and how it became the largest online shopping day in the world.

Then, from clamshell razors to electrolysis, humans have gone to great lengths to achieve a smooth, clean shave. We’ll take a look at the history of hair removal, and what it reveals about shifting views of racial and social status in the U.S.

The cover of National Geographic magazine is iconic: you can pick the magazine out on the rack from just a glimpse of that particular shade of yellow. A yellow border so iconic that it acts as National Geographic's print and media logo. Inside that yellow frame is often a photographic glimpse into another world, another person's life and those photographs are what makes Nat Geo the icon it is today.

From the Afghan girl with startling green eyes to the ghostly wreckage of the Titanic, there’s just something about the iconic covers of National Geographic that burns into our collective memory. On today’s show: we get an insider’s view of the cover selection process.

Then, from microscopic lenses to compact cameras, the digital age has upped the ante for nature photographers and opened the door for whole new levels of disruption and manipulation. We’ll ponder the ethics of wildlife photography.

Photographer David Murray started his career as a professional photographer after he retired from his 30-year career in Silicon Valley. As the principal house photographer for The Music Hall in Portsmouth he has photographed musicians, dancers, and writers among others.

Much of his work involves capturing candid moments, moments when performers don’t even know he’s looking at them through the lens of his camera

For many, Thanksgiving is a time to pull out those tried-and-true family recipes, but why not try something new this year? On today’s show, new approaches to thanksgiving dinner, from dry brining your turkey to spatchcocking 101. And our series Good Gig, conversations with people who have landed their dream job, continues with a professional photographer who has captured the live performances of everyone from Herbie Hancock to Tony Bennett. Plus, a look at efforts to bring an endangered Native American language back from the brink.

Last year we interviewed photographer Ryann Ford about a project she was working on: traveling the country to preserve the humble American rest stop through a series of photographs. These are relics of a time when most people traveled by car on vacations, and as new super stops pop up along highways, the simple rest stop is becoming extinct.

When an unrecognizable number shows up on your phone during election season, chances are pretty good that the caller is someone taking a poll. On today’s show, turning the tables on pollsters. We’ll find out how they view polling accuracy and ethics for Election 2012.

Also today, the aging bunnies – a group of Playboy centerfold models now in their 60s and 70s, reject the idea that they victimized, and remember a more tasteful time for the men’s magazine.

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10.29.14: Polling The Pollsters, The Early Days Of Playboy Centerfolds, & The Film: "Laggies"

From the dusty towns of the old west, to the empty mills of the east, there’s just something about abandoned places and the stories they leave behind. Today’s Word of Mouth is all about ghost towns, from neglected Olympic villages to forgotten websites.

We’ll also hear the story of a small town in northern Maine where the ghost of a sea captain is said to roam.

And we’ll visit a ghost town in North Carolina that hit the jackpot when it was transformed into District 12 from Suzanne Collins dystopian novel, The Hunger Games.

The Aurora Borealis may be visible from all or part of New Hampshire tonight. Although Auroras are difficult to predict, Accuweather.com reports the solar flare’s strength and timing make sightings more likely. Adam Woodworth is a Seacoast photographer and an expert in landscape astro photography. His long-exposure photograph of the Aurora, above, was taken in Southern Maine last year.

Woodworth is following the Aurora closely today and has these tips for citizen stargazers: